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When I began to concern myself with graphology, I learnt that a handwriting sample shows

the identity of the writer. For a few years I analyzed the handwriting of adult people, till my

graphology teacher gave me a book of Ursula Avé-Lallemant: Graphologie des Jugendlichen

(Graphology of the Adolescent).1 I was shocked: the handwriting samples in this book

showed, that it is quite normal if an adolescent individual changes the face of handwriting

completely for several times. What about identity? If it wasn’t puberty – it had to be schizo-

phrenia!

But the research of Avé-Lallemant put the chaos of pubertal development in order. She

pointed out that the development of handwriting during the puberty proceeds in definable and

consecutive phases:

• Approximately at the age of nine a child has reached a phase of writing maturity: the child

copes with writing, the forms of the letters are secure and the motion is elastic.

• Approximately at the age of ten the beginning of the pubertal crisis appears in the hand-

writing by inelastic, flagging motion and decayed forms.

• Approximately at the age of fourteen the crisis is coped by a compensating pursuit of or-

der. Typical for this phase are regularity, stylization and left slant.

• From the age of fifteen the handwriting can get individual by self-contained forming based

on elastic, rhythmical motion.

• This model of pubertal development is valid for adolescents in West-Germany in the six-

ties.

What about today? I’m not the first German graphologist who asks this question. In nine-

teen seventy eight Gertrud Beschel (compare bibliographical reference at the end of the arti-

cle) compared the handwriting of pupils in the fifties and in the seventies. Later, in ninety six

and in two thousand she found that the premises of her research had changed in essential

aspects (compare bibliographical reference at the end of the article). Todays children grow up

in more instable living conditions and the teachers in German primary schools prefer the en-

couragement of individuality to the conformance with cultural norms. Therefore the handwri-

ting of pupils has got more heterogeneous, the course of movement has got more voluble,

but also more vulnerable to disturbance – and: the development phases aren’t distinctly defi-

nable any more.

In 2003 I began to collect up-to-date handwriting samples of pupils in primary and secon-

dary schools in Berlin. Most of these samples come from children and adolescents whose

families have immigrated from Turkey or an Arab country. My Berlin samples have been sup-

plemented by pupils’ handwriting samples collected by colleagues in Stuttgart, Offenbach/

Main, in a Bavarian village near Munich and in a Swiss village near the Lake Constance. These

are quite different social environments. In our study group we were not able to point out in

what way the social environment impacts on the development of handwriting, but we could

sight the effect of different standard letterings. The pupils of the primary school in the Swiss

village learn a highly disciplined writing.

Sulamith Samuleit, Graphologin BGG/PBeckerstraße 6a12157 BerlinTel. 030 / 855 05 02

http://www.samuleit.des.f.samuleit@t-online.de

GRAPHOLOGIENEWSAre there typic patterns of development in puberty?from Sulamith Samuleit

Lecture on March 7th 2009 at the congress „I giovani e la grafologia“ in Florence

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09 In Berlin even a very conscientious child writes more loosely than a normally well-behaved child in Switzerland. And

then there is the „Vereinfachte Ausgangsschrift”, a new standard lettering that has been established in several West

German Federal Lands in order to simplify the learning how to write. But even a well skilled child isn’t able to write in a

fluent and rhythmical way using these letters and less skilled children produce fragmented and hardly readable texts.

This boy (age 9;8, fig. 1) in Stuttgart copes quite well with the „Vereinfachte Ausgangsschrift“ (fig. 2). Typical for

pupils, who have learnt this standard lettering, are the gap between the capital letter and the following small letter (see

Stern, Plan), interrupted joints (see ha in hat, la in Plan, lt in Eltern), the hooked e and upwards drawn endings. The

angular n is an individual variance re-

sulting from insistent intentional stress.

This girl (age 9;0, fig. 3) copes well with

the „Schulausgangsschrift“ (fig. 4)

which is taught in Berlin. In this case

individual variances are fluctuation of

right and left slant and curved angles.

The girl tries hard to control her varying

impulses.

A girl (age 9;7, fig. 5) in Staad, Switzer-

land, writes nearly exactly in standard

letters (fig. 6). The only variance is the

slant: the girl doesn’t adhere to the right slant lines but prefers letters which stand up straight. She is an ambitious

pupil who doesn’t afford any mistakes.

These three pupils have defined conditions for their start

into puberty in common: They are well-behaved children and

ambitious pupils. Their handwriting samples show childlike self

assurance and social competence. And they have in common

that puberty begins at the age of 10.

Figure 7 is the boy of figure 1 nearly a year later (age 10;7).

His handwriting has got smaller and wider: The childlike sub-

jectivity has given way to an objective interest. The joints have got more fluent, what means an advancement of asso-

ciative learning. In this case the changes of the handwriting correspond to the model of Avé-Lallemant: The beginning

of puberty manifests itself by loosened and irregular motions. Due to the developmental leap the movement gets

more centrifugal, it expands at the

expense of stability and elasticity. A

typical graphic element in this con-

text is the tremulously crooked up-

per length as in „schnell” (last line).

One and a half years later (age 10;5)

the Berlin girl of figure 3 has com-

pletely changed the face of her

handwriting in figure 8. Instead of

the former irregularity she now pre-

sents even forms resulting from

steady, slowed movement. She has

left the forms of the standard lettering – this also could be the handwriting of a young woman. The sample appears

precocious - and the girl is not able to keep this level.

One year later (age 11;5, fig. 9) the movement has remained slowed, but it isn’t steady any more. The fluctuating

slant shows the changes of mood and the ambivalence of involvement and reserve, which are typical for the pubertal

crisis. A profound uncertainty appears in weakly crooked ending curves as in „wirklich” (line 3) or „im” (line 5).

Already at the age of 12 (12;3, fig. 10) the girl has coped with her pubertal crisis. The movement has got steadier

again and the slant is consistent upright or somewhat left. But she hasn’t regained the level of figure 5: The move-

ment is less elastic and more hardened. Regrettably I haven’t got handwriting samples of a later date from this girl; so

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

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Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Fig. 8

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Fig. 9

Fig. 10

we won’t find out whether there will be a second crisis from that a more rhythmical movement could arise.

The Swiss girl shows at the age of nearly 11 (10;11, fig. 11) the beginning of puberty by tremulously crooked up-

per lengths as in „schon” (line 1), „Schilda” (line 2) or „dreieckiges” (line 8). The centrifugal expansion appears in the

upper length of t, which becomes crooked aiming high. But the crisis is little noticeable, because the compensating

hardening dominates. The covering lines especially at n and m, which are forwarded by the Swiss standard lettering,

now are intensified, and often the writing adheres to the base line. While this girl is loosing her childlike self-assurance,

she doesn’t experiment or even revolt but looks for backing by established guides.

If she is allowed to write as she likes, she prefers unconnected writing (fig. 12): Both samples, figure 11 and 12,

show that the pubertal crisis is fended off and skipped. The childlike writing (fig. 5) is promptly followed by the phase

of pursuit of order (according to Avé-Lallemant). This remains the status until the age of 12 (12;5, fig. 13). Figure 13

and 14 are the latest handwriting samples that we have got from this girl. My forecast says that she will maintain an

accurate designed handwriting. We won’t find out whether the movement will get more fluent.

These three pupils represent an undramatic process in the early phase of puberty. The developmental crisis is mild

and – especially in case of the girls – fended off by a prompt compensating pursuit of order. This pattern of pubertal

development is more frequently seen in the handwriting of girls than in the handwriting of boys.

A teacher may be happy, if 30% pupils of a class represent this adapted pattern. It’s not the majority, but you can

find these sustainers of school everywhere – not only in a Swiss or Bavarian village, where from common point of view

the world still may be intact, but also in the city, even at a focus of social and ethnical conflicts as Berlin-Kreuzberg.

The majority of pupils represent a more chaotic type of pubertal development. In these cases teachers and educa-

tors must be able to distinguish temporary imbalance from shots of distress.

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Fig. 11

Fig. 12

Fig. 13

Fig. 14

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09 The figures 15 (11;8) and 16 (10;5) show the handwriting of two boys who live up to the fatal expectations that are

associated with the migrants’ ghetto of Berlin. Their teacher told me that these two boys were the „hooligans” of the

class. I replied that the boy of figure 15 was the agitator and his friend, figure 16, the follower. One reason for this as-

sessment is that the elder boy already is too old to be a typic child of the 4th form; a graver reason is the mix of

emergency signals and agitation in his handwriting. His writing is unstable and blotchy because of numerous re-

touches; this indicates that he perceives his failure. But he doesn’t resign: his writing gets larger and lifts from the ba-

sic line. This indicates that he turns from reality to a euphoric mood.

The writing of the younger boy, figure 16, is also unstable. But the movement is slowed and strained; so in this

case the sense of disability isn’t compensated by cockiness but by anxious compunction. This boy seeks the friend-

ship of a potent appearing guy because he is dissatisfied with his own weakness.

In the course of the 5th form it got public that this team had threatened and blackmailed their schoolmates. The

younger boy was posted to a parallel class and the older boy learnt that he could stay at this school just on proba-

tion. At the end of the 6th form both have improved: The writing of the „agitator” (13;11, fig. 17) now appears strained

and pulled together, whereas the uncertainness still manifests itself in the irregularity and in retouches which are made

with intense pressure. This pupil now has achieved some self-discipline and willingness for exertion; but it is uncertain

whether he will keep up these virtues at secondary school. The writing of his fellow (fig. 18) got steadier and rounder.

This writer (11;11) now seems as a well-behaved child at the beginning of puberty that appears in high, often

crooked upper lengths. In his new class he didn’t annoy anymore.

These two boys didn’t hide their lability but expressed their disaffection by annoying their teachers and school-

mates, provoking a scandal.

Fig. 15

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Fig. 16

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Fig. 17

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Fig. 18

There are also less dramatic cases of inconspicuous pupils who suddenly flip out in a culmination of puberty crisis.

Figure 19 is a handwriting sample of my younger son (13;11), whose writing had got very irregular about from the

age of 13. He visits a grammar school and has been always seen as unobtrusive – until the day when a waste con-

tainer in the schoolyard began to smolder, because he had thrown in a still burning sheet of paper. He neither denied

his action nor did he show any remorse. When the schoolmaster angrily asked him what he had thought to himself in

doing so, my son told him directly the simple truth: „I’ve thought nothing.” Some embarrassing conferences at home,

at the police station and at school taught him to think a little more.

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All people, who had known him as a reserved boy, were overtaken by his scandalous action. I was not so much

surprised, because I had seen his disaffection and lability of mood in his handwriting for several months. I’m rather

astonished that there haven’t been more impulsive slip-ups – above all his handwriting hasn’t got steady since now.

One year later (14;10, fig. 20) he could show his ability of reflecting by a small and ably simplified writing:

But for all conscious control, the move-

ment has remained unstable. And he

doesn’t prefer controlled small writing but

typic pubertal expansion with a mix of

slackness and angular bulkiness as you

can see in figure 21 (15;1). After all, the

movement is spontaneous and there are

no retouches. So I’m confident that his

self-esteem is intact and I’m still waiting for the birth of a personal form out of the chaos.

Usually the pubertal crisis of boys gets into evidence by their impulsive, often aggressive behavior. In contrast it is

typic for girls that the pubertal crisis escalates anxiety. These gender-specific patterns are eminently operative in a

Muslim environment.

Fig. 19

Fig. 20

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Fig. 21

Fig. 22

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09 The girl in fig. 22 (14;8) has grown up in a Turkish family. Her handwriting sample is typic for girls at this age at the

beginning of the sheet: slightly fluctuation of right and left slant, adhesive movement, anxiously careful forms. But she

isn’t able to keep up this style. At the bottom of the sheet her writing gets larger and wavering. In my report for the

teacher I attested this girl fluctuation of mood and bid for discipline without resilience.

One year later (15;9, fig. 23) I was

alarmed: Her handwriting now is wa-

vering and – what is even worse –

nerveless. The forms are getting indi-

vidual in a voluble way. So this sample

shows an intelligent girl who seeks for

self-reliance, but suffers from labile

self-esteem and lacks both backing

and orientation. I asked her teacher,

what she knew about this girl, and she

told me that two months after the

writing of the sample figure 22 the

girl’s elder sister was murdered by

their brothers. This „honor killing” had

jolted the whole German society. It had become clear that such a girl had a grave reason to be fearful. After the family

catastrophe psychotherapeutic aid was organized for this younger daughter who still hadn’t rebelled against a rigid

Muslim family tradition decided enough to be murdered. Fortunately the clash of cultures only rarely grows acute like

this.

The girl in figure

24 (11;10) also

comes from a

Turkish fami ly;

she is visiting a

grammar school.

Presumably she

learned „Verein-

f a c h t e A u s-

g a n g s s c h r i f t ”

(compare fig. 2)

a t p r i m a r y

school, but now

there isn’t any

sign anymore of

this standard lettering in her handwriting. In her class none of nine girls shows any signs of „Vereinfachte Aus-

gangsschrift” from the 6th form; three of eight boys retain this standard lettering until the 8th form. This study in a sin-

gle school class proves the rule that girls detach themselves from childlike compliance of norms at an earlier age than

boys. In the course of puberty standard letterings are displaced by writing fashions like the disconnected script, which

has been popular for several years.

In figure 24 the face of writing resembles figure 23 in a worrying way: it is very wavering and great word distances

indicate that the girls’ relationship with the environment is disturbed. Figure 24 shows a little more resilience in some

narrow, strained n and m.

Two years later (13;10, fig. 25) she has coped with her crisis by self-discipline. Her writing is still disconnected, but

the letters adhere together. She seeks a steady writing, but slant and line are irregular. The compensating pursuit of

order, which is characteristic for the last phase of puberty, proves to be a cage. The girl performs according the re-

quirements – and longs for a genuine life that she guesses at another place, beyond the cage. Her yearning manifests

itself in the text of the sample as nostalgia for an idealised Istanbul. Her situation here and now is constricting and the

girl is still too young to understand that she has to get free on her own.

Fig. 23

Fig. 24

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Fig. 26

Fig. 25

Fig. 27

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09 I must admit that I don’t know how it happens that an individual form of writing emerges either of the chaos of the

pubertal crisis or of the cage of compensating pursuit of order. I guess it is a miracle that happens – or doesn’t hap-

pen – without any possibility of educational manipulation.

My compilation of pupils’ handwriting samples contains only few samples of pupils at the age of 16 or older. And it

is hard to find adolescent handwritings that present the transition to adult identity. There are two examples I’d like to

show finally:

Figure 26 is a spontaneous note of a girl (17;1) who intends to take the university-entrance diploma. Her writing is

loosened, irregular and fluent. There are voluble forms resulting from elastic movement. She lives emotionally and

passionate – maybe that experience will give her more serenity and resoluteness.

Figure 27 (19;11, student) is a transcription that shall be readable for the graphologist. The control of movement

manifests itself in upright or left slanted letters and in narrowness. But nevertheless the movement is fluttering, extent

and line are irregular. The self-esteem of the writer is labile; therefore he hadn’t yet decided what his genuine profes-

sional goal could be. There has already been developed an individual style, but the young man is still living in a phase

of experimenting.

Summing up I can state that the up to date stock of German pupils’ handwriting samples allows documenting the

beginning of puberty and its course until the age of fifteen years. It is possible to discern patterns of unsteadiness or

of defense mechanism as well as gender-specific patterns. But we need more applicable handwriting samples for

further research on the premises for developing an individual style.

Bibliographical Reference:

• Ursula Avé-Lallemant, Graphologie des Jugendlichen, Vol. 1, München 1970

• Gertrud Beschel, Erst kritzeln – dann schreiben. Beiträge zur Psychologie der Kinder- und Jugendschrift. Aufsätze

und Vorträge aus etwa fünf Jahrzehnten. Veröffentlichungen der Katholischen Akademie Schwerte 2001

• All above shown handwritings are taken from the book „Katalog Schülerschriften 2008“, edited by Sulamith Samu-

leit, Books on Demand 2009